Voters Hear Arguments For & Against On Initiative 300

DENVER (CBS4) - Both the "Yes on 300" and "No on 300" campaigns are using opportunities to speak before community organizations as a way to get their message out directly to voters. Organizations like the West Colfax Association of Neighbors invited both sides to speak on Tuesday during their regular meeting.

"If our law passed, people would have a right to sleep in a place indefinitely, and that might sound scary to people but there is no other option for these folks," said Raffi Mercuri, the campaign manager for the Denver Right To Survive campaign, which authored the initiative.

Supporters and opponents of the initiative agree that the city needs to address homelessness in Denver but differ on whether this ballot issue will actually help those most in need.

"There is an opportunity to say yes, we need to help the homeless community, yes, there needs to be a solution," said Alvina Vasquez, the communications director for Together Denver, which opposes the initiative.

The campaigns have specific arguments for neighborhood groups and business districts to try and gain their support before ballots are mailed out on April 15 and voters decided in May.

"We want neighborhood organizations to know neighborhoods would be better off with this law passing then they are right now," Mercuri said.

"Most businesses live in Denver and their families are here and they want to know what this will be like should this pass, how does it affect everyone in the city," Vasquez said.